A procession went from the church to the burial site.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. —
Family, friends, fellow firefighters and members of the community gathered to pay their respects to St. Lucie County firefighter/paramedic Austin Hodge during a viewing Friday and a service Saturday.
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Visitation was at the River of Life Fellowship Church at 3950 Storey Terrace in Fort Pierce.
The memorial service took palce at Christ Fellowship Church at 10250 SW Village Parkway in Port St. Lucie. There were songs, prayers and tributes, including from his fellow firefighters.
After the service, a procession went from Southwest Village Park to Hillcrest Memorial Gardens on U.S. 1 in Fort Pierce.
The fire department livestreamed the service on YouTube. Before the celebration of life, there was a video tribute.
Austin Hodge, 34, joined the St. Lucie County Fire District on July 17, 2017. He was assigned to Station 9 in Fort Pierce.
On Oct. 24, the fire district reported that Austin Hodge was found unresponsive in his bunk at the firehouse during a shift change in the morning. Crews immediately began life-saving measures, but Hodge later died at the hospital.
A procession of firefighters and personnel from other agencies went from HCA Lawnwood Hospital to the morgue in Fort Pierce on Saturday morning.
Two days later, firefighters escorted Hodge’s body from the medical examiner’s office to a funeral home in Fort Pierce. Tears, respect and a sense of loss were visible on the faces of those gathered to pay tribute.
His brother, Jarius Hodge, died on July 22, 2025, after falling ill at work at Station 3. His family said he had the flu, felt weak and was later rushed to the hospital, where he died hours later.
“Austin and I came to know one another as we were memorializing Jarius,” U.S. Rep. Brian Mast said during the service. “Calvin (father) and Keristan (mother), there is no family among us that has given more in service to this community. On behalf of a grateful country and a grateful community, thank you for giving us the very best.”